Self-Care and Well-Being Model for Elderly Women: A Comparison of Rural and Urban Areas

The purposes of this study were to examine the relationships among age, social class, perceived health, self-care, and well-being in urban and rural elderly women and to validate and compare two models using these two groups. A causal model of self-care and well-being was proposed for this study based on Orem's self-care model and empirical data. Data were collected using a survey-interview method. Of the 351 elderly women recruited, 159 were in the urban group and 192 in the rural group. Two models of self-care and well-being were tested using path analysis with the LISREL 8 program. The resultant models yielded a Chi-squared of 1.98 with two degrees of freedom (p = 0.37) in the urban group and a Chi-squared of 4.20 with three degrees of freedom (p = 0.24) in the rural group, indicating good fit between the data and the two models. These two models provide guidelines for community nurses to design appropriate self-care programs for elderly women

Overweight Risk and Parental Concerns of Risk for Chinese Preschoolers in the U.S., China and Taiwan

Background and Purpose: The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated childhood obesity as a global epidemic. Parental factors such as perceptions of their child’s weight status, concerns about their child’s weight, parental feeding practices, and parents’ own weight status may be associated with increased obesity risk among preschool children. This study aims to explore factors related to body mass index (BMI) and parental concerns about their children’s weight among Chinese pre-school aged children in the U.S., China and Taiwan. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was utilized. One hundred children (ages 3-5) and their parents participated in the study. Parents completed a family eating and activity habit questionnaire, a child feeding practices survey, a child bdy shape pictorial list, and a demographic survey. Children had their weight and height measured. Results: Fathers’ elevated BMI was related to higher children’s BMI (R2 = .095, p = 005), especially among boys. Parent-reported food restriction practices, perception of their child being heavy, increased food monitoring, and higher children’s activity level were associated with increased concerns for a child’s weight (R2 = .43, p = 001). Conclusion: In contrast to literature that focuses on mothers, our study suggests that obesity prevention for Chinese fathers may assist in the obesity prevention efforts of their young children, especially among boys. In addition, parent education on healthy feeding practices for preschool children is warranted for preventing childhood obesity

Self-Care and Well-Being Model for Elderly Women: A Comparison of Rural and Urban Areas

The purposes of this study were to examine the relationships among age, social class, perceived health, self-care, and well-being in urban and rural elderly women and to validate and compare two models using these two groups. A causal model of self-care and well-being was proposed for this study based on Orem's self-care model and empirical data. Data were collected using a survey-interview method. Of the 351 elderly women recruited, 159 were in the urban group and 192 in the rural group. Two models of self-care and well-being were tested using path analysis with the LISREL 8 program. The resultant models yielded a Chi-squared of 1.98 with two degrees of freedom (p = 0.37) in the urban group and a Chi-squared of 4.20 with three degrees of freedom (p = 0.24) in the rural group, indicating good fit between the data and the two models. These two models provide guidelines for community nurses to design appropriate self-care programs for elderly women

Correlates for Consistency of Contraceptive Use Among Sexually Active Female Adolescents

This study explored the correlates for consistency of contraceptive use among sexually active female adolescents in Kaohsiung County, Taiwan. Overall, 164 female adolescents who had engaged in sexual behavior within the last 6 months and were not pregnant at the time of the study were selected from two vocational high schools in Kaohsiung County, Taiwan. An anonymous questionnaire was used to measure demographic data, contraceptive attitudes, contraceptive knowledge, contraceptive self-efficacy, perception of peers' use of contraceptives, sexual history, and contraceptive use. The results showed that 45.7% of subjects had sex once or more per week, and that 39.6% of subjects always used contraceptives while 15.2% never used contraceptives. Condoms were the most popular contraceptives (51.2%) and the withdrawal method was the second most popular (23.8%). Stepwise logistic regression showed that higher contraceptive attitudes (odds ratio, OR, 1.148) and previous contraceptive education in school (OR, 3.394) increased the probability of consistently using contraceptives, correctly classifying 67.2% of the sample

Potential Factors Associated with Contraceptive Intention Among Adolescent Males in Taiwan

This study explored the predictors of contraceptive intention in adolescent males in Taiwan. It used a cross-sectional design and a sample of 1,000 vocational high school male students to determine the potential factors associated with contraceptive intention. Data were collected on an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire, including personal background variables, prior sexual experience, contraceptive knowledge, contraceptive attitude, contraceptive self-efficacy, perception of peers' contraceptive behavior, perception of support from significant others, and parental-adolescent communication about contraception. A total of 230 participants (23%) had prior sexual experience, 13% (30) of whom reported being involved in their girlfriends' pregnancies. Of the participants, 45% recognized the use of condoms as the most favorable contraceptive method for future sexual intercourse. Second to condom use, the combination of the calendar method and condom use was also popular (13.1%). Multiple stepwise regression indicated that better contraceptive attitudes, higher contraceptive self-efficacy, no prior sexual experience, more perception of peers' contraceptive behavior, and higher perception of support from significant others were predictors of higher contraceptive intention. The above predicting factors explained 31.9% of the total variance for contraceptive intention among adolescents. These results provide health professionals with important information to understand the reality adolescents encounter and to design effective contraceptive programs for male adolescents

Efficacy of swaddling and heel warming on pain response to heel stick in neonates: a randomised control trial

Aims and objectivesTo determine the efficacy of swaddling and heel warming on pain response in neonates following heel stick.BackgroundSwaddling has been suggested to reduce pain response in neonates during heel stick. Heel warming is also often performed for drawing blood easily before heel stick. However, the efficacy of both on pain response is unclear.DesignA randomised controlled study was used.MethodsTwenty-five neonates were randomly assigned to each of the control, swaddling and heel-warming groups. Heart rate, oxygen saturation Neonatal Infant Pain Scale and duration of crying were used to assess pain reactivity and pain recovery. A greater heart rate and Neonatal Infant Pain Scale increase, or oxygen saturation decrease, indicated higher pain reactivity. A longer duration of heart rate and oxygen saturation changes after heel stick back to baseline indicated a longer pain recovery.ResultsThe decrease in oxygen saturation in swaddling group was significantly greater than that in heel-warming group. The increase in the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale in control group was significantly higher than that in swaddling group. The heart rate recovery time in control group and swaddling group was significantly longer than that in heel-warming group. The oxygen saturation recovery time in control group was significantly longer than that in heel-warming group. The duration of crying in control group was significantly longer than those in swaddling group and heel-warming group.ConclusionBoth swaddling and heel warming decreased the pain response of neonates during heel stick. Heel warming resulted in a lower pain response than did swaddling for neonates, particularly in terms of pain recovery.Relevance to clinical practiceHeel warming could become a routine practice to decrease the pain response of neonates during heel stick

Modelling individual, parental and peer factors to glycaemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes: A prospective study.

AimTo construct a model addressing the pathways from baseline diabetes distress, attribution of peer reactions, parenting style and 3-month self-management to 6-month glycated haemoglobin levels in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.DesignA prospective design was adopted.MethodsA total of 177 adolescents aged 10-19 with type 1 diabetes were enrolled from four hospitals in Taiwan. Diabetes distress, attribution of peer reactions and parenting style were collected at baseline, self-management was collected at the third month and glycated haemoglobin levels were collected at the sixth month. Data were collected from May 2015-June 2016.ResultsBaseline diabetes distress and 3-month self-management directly affected 6-month glycated haemoglobin levels. Baseline attribution of peer reactions directly affected baseline diabetes distress and 3-month self-management; also, it indirectly affected 6-month glycated haemoglobin levels through 3-month self-management. Baseline parenting style directly affected baseline diabetes distress, baseline attribution of peer reactions, 3-month self-management and 6-month glycated haemoglobin levels; it also indirectly affected 6-month glycated haemoglobin levels through baseline diabetes distress and 3-month self-management.ConclusionA model simultaneously incorporating individual, parental and peer factors to glycaemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes has been constructed. Improving diabetes distress and self-management should be essential strategies to improve glycaemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Encouraging adolescents with type 1 diabetes to communicate openly with peers about diabetes care and educating their parents to provide more responsive and autonomy-encouraging parenting style might be vital strategies to improve diabetes distress, 3-month self-management and glycaemic control.ImpactIndividual, parental and peer factors should be simultaneously considered to improve glycaemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Nurses should evaluate these factors to tailor interventions improving glycaemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes

A Comparison of Nurse Aides and Nurses Regarding the Work Competence of Nurse Aides in a Skill-Mixed Institution

Objective: To compare the differences between the work competencies self-reported by nurse aides’ and those perceived by nurses. Method: A cross-sectional survey was employed. The settings were units implemented a skill mix model institution in Taiwan. The instruments consisted of the participants’ demographic data and a nurse aide work competence scale. Results: The results indicated that the nurse aides had room for improvement in terms of “problem solving” and “activity design”. The nurse aides and nurses differed significantly in terms of the nurse aides’ competence in “activity design”, as the nurse aides reported themselves to be more competent in “activity design” than reported by the nurses. Conclusion: Nurse aides should be incorporated into cross-disciplinary teams. Activity design should be handled by other healthcare providers such as physical therapists or senior social workers